Boys Basketball: Deerfield’s bench is solid in win over Maine East
BY DANNY MEHIGAN Contributor February 3, 2012 10:52PM
Alex Sacks of the Warriors makes a steal against Maine East's Evan Nazzal during Friday's contest. | Darrell Harmon~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 10, 2012 8:11AM
With sophomore sharpshooter Eric Porter missing time due to a bout with mononucleosis, Deerfield High School needed to find some scoring, some passing and some defensive intensity to fill the void.
Considering Friday’s matchup against Maine East was the first of four games in just eight days, coach JJ Pearl and the Warriors didn’t have much practice time to figure out any contingency plans.
Deerfield (9-11, 4-4 CSL North) jumped out to a double-digit, first-quarter lead against the Blue Demons that it would never relinquish in a 57-33 win, allowing Pearl to see his reserves in action. He now knows that he’s got options.
“Obviously, we need Eric on the floor,” Pearl said. “He’s much better on the floor than as an assistant coach. But what it gives us is opportunities for other guys. Tony (Shapiro) stepped in and played well, Andy (Levitz) was great, Tyler Hirano came in and so did Andrew Ferdman. When a guy goes down, other guys need to step up and fill his role. We need Eric back, though; he’s a big part of this. Some other guys stepped up big (Friday night).”
The Warriors went on a 14-2 run in the first quarter against Maine East, thanks to nine quick points from Alex Sacks. Deerfield then scored the first six points of the second quarter, stretching the lead to 15 points. It was 34-18 at halftime before Sacks scored seven more in the third; he finished with a game-high 18 points. Mack Watts added 11 points and seven rebounds, while Michael Alfieri scored eight and grabbed nine rebounds for the victory.
Maine East (4-15, 0-8) struggled from the floor all night, only hitting 12 of 41 shots (29 percent). The Demons also committed 15 turnovers. Deerfield hit 23 of 43 (53 percent) from the field in the runaway win.
“We were very patient,” Pearl said. “We were able to get the ball in the middle and get some open looks, and our guys knocked them down. Our defense gave us a little bit of energy. Andy Levitz came off the bench and did a phenomenal job, getting deflections and steals. That created a lot for us.”
The bench added 28 points, as 10 players put points on the board, including six by Shane Mulhern. Lightly used Jack Lazar and Jack Dimatteo got in on the action, both draining three-pointers in the final minute.
“We knew we could trap them and get steals, so we started off with that and kept it up all game,” Alfieri said. “We have great shooters coming off the bench, but obviously Eric is great. We’re not necessarily losing everything, but guys like Tony just have a different style. Our bench is fantastic. It’s fun when they get in and start hitting shots, and we go wild. It’s a lot of fun.”
Recap: The Warriors dropped a 51-39 nonconference decision to visiting Conant on Saturday.
Watts led all scorers with 14 points. He also had three assists.
Sacks tallied seven points, while Alexander Glantz added six points.
Stat sheet: Sacks and Watts are averaging 10 points per game for the Warriors. Alfieri is scoring at an 8.5 clip, while Porter tallies 7.6 per game.
Watts is the leading rebounder (5.6). Alfieri is pulling down five per game.
On the schedule: Deerfield was set to visit Lake Forest for a nonconference game on Tuesday, and will host Highland Park on Friday and Sullivan on Saturday.
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